


the course of love never does run smooth

by TheNameIsZ (curiouslygray)



Series: 14 Days of Valentines [9]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: 14 Days of Valentines, Angst, F/F, Fighting, Identity Reveal, Makeup
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 09:04:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17722232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouslygray/pseuds/TheNameIsZ
Summary: Everyone thinks that Lena and Kara have the perfect relationship. But they too have their fights.





	the course of love never does run smooth

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "The course of love never does run smooth." - William Shakespeare
> 
> This is definitely the angstiest piece of this series, but love isn't always perfect and neither are Kara and Lena.

At face value, some may say that Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor are the perfect couple. Their personalities complement each other; Kara was warm and bubbly while Lena was cool and subdued. They were often curled up around each other, Kara melting Lena and Lena keeping Kara calm.

But that doesn’t mean they didn’t have problems. Sure, they’d have the everyday bickering of whether or not they should have pizza or sushi for dinner, or which version of  _ Heathers _ is better, the movie or the musical. 

They also had fights about the big things...

-

_ “We’ve been dating for  _ seven months  _ Kara. This isn’t something as simple as you hate public events or prefer the movie version of books. This is a big deal. You’ve been lying about a whole second identity. Is there anything else you’re not telling me about? Does  _ Supergirl  _ have a girl on the side?” Lena cold voice was edged with anger.  _

_ “Wha- Lena!” Kara’s voice broke, the suggestion like a knife in her chest, “How could you even say that?” _

_ “Oh, I don’t know,” Lena crossed her arms, “Maybe because my girlfriend is Supergirl and didn’t tell me for the year that we’ve known each other.” _

_ “Just because I’ve had to keep my Supergirl identity under wraps doesn’t mean I’m cheating on you.” Kara’s voice wavered. She was trying to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t want to end up accidentally breaking something, or worse, hurting Lena, “Can… can we please just sit down and talk about this.” _

_ Lena’s jaw was rigid, thinking for a few seconds before responding. “Fine. You want to talk, let’s talk.” _

_ And so they did. Lena never raised her voice, which made Kara more scared than if she had been yelling. Kara was used to Alex’s loud, fiery anger. She had seen people be on the receiving end of Lena’s cold anger, but she had never had it directed at her. _

_ “I’m not angry about you being Supergirl,” Lena explained, “I’m angry with you for lying about it. It is what I expect from my family, but not you.” She punctuated the sentence by poking Kara in the chest, her voice finally showing an inflection other than anger. _

-

...and sometimes they fought over the important things.

-

_ “What’s wrong?" _

_ Lena could tell that something was bothering Kara. It was just past midnight when Lena got home, Kara most likely having returned from a patrol not too long ago. _

_ “Nothing.” Kara’s curt response and irritated voice conflicted with what she had said. Kara was sitting on the couch, watching  _ House  _ with a blanket on her legs, wearing an old hoodie of Jeremiah’s that she only wore when she was upset.  _

_ Lena crossed the room, setting her purse down next to the couch. Removing her jacket and throwing it over the back, she sat down, intensely looking at Kara, “I can tell something is wrong. What is it.” _

_ “Do you know what day it is, Lena?” _

_ Her voice was hard, something that was very unlike Kara. Lena felt a twitch in her hand, a voice in her head starting up like a mantra:  _ you’ve fucked up you’ve fucked up you’ve fucked up.  _ She cleared her throat, trying to think of what it could be. Birthday? No; that was in September. Alex’s had just passed in April. Game night? No; the group chat would have been blowing up her phone. Date night? She didn’t remember them planning - _

_ Oh. _

Oh.

_ It was their one year anniversary. And Lena had forgotten. Her face fell and Kara noticed, her lips twitching into a grim smile. Lena started apologizing profusely, but they fell on deaf ears. _

_ “I waited for you. I waited for three hours. I texted you, thinking that maybe you were just running late or in a meeting,” Kara’s voice broke a bit, sounding watery as she continued, “I didn’t think you’d actually forget.” _

_ She began to fidget with the edge of the blanket. The two of them have had long conversations talking about their fears of being abandoned. Lena may not remember much about her birth mother, but Lillian sending her off to boarding school, Lex cutting off communication from her, and Lionel’s death all ingrained into her head that the people she cares about will leave her. For Kara, well, it stemmed from her losing Krypton, being left at the Danvers by her cousin, Jeremiah’s death, Alex leaving her behind and going off to college and then lying to her about the DEO. _

_ Lena’s voice was small when she spoke, “I’m sorry Kara. I’m so, so sorry. Let me make it up to you, please?” _

_ “I - Lena, tonight meant a lot to me. I’ve never been in a relationship this long and I… I love you. I really do. But the fact that you forgot, it hurts.” _

_ Lena touched Kara’s hand lightly, as if silently asking permission. Her hand twitched, but didn’t pull away, “I - I’m sorry. I’m not going to make any excuses for myself. I forgot and I’m so, so sorry.” Her voice was earnest, pleading, “Please let me make it up to you somehow.” _

_ “I need some time.” _

_ Lena blinked, unsure if she heard Kara correctly, “You need time?” _

_ Kara let out a shaky breath, “I’m going to stay with Alex for a few days, just so that I can cool off a bit. We can talk in a few days.” _

_ Lena withdrew herself from Kara, folding her hands in her lap, casting her gaze down, “If that’s what you need then I’ll give it to you.” _

_ Kara stood, grabbing the duffel bag that had been sitting at her feet. Lena didn’t stop her as she headed for the door, sliding on her shoes and grabbing her keys. She hesitated as she put her hand on the door handle. Kara turned and looked Lena, still sitting on the couch looking her hands in her lap, her body rigid. _

_ “This isn’t the end,” Kara said softly. Lena turned and looked at her girlfriend, eyes shiny with tears, “This is just a pause.” _

-

They are both flawed, and sometimes those flaws shine through. Their ideologies don’t always align: Kara believes that everyone had good in them. Lena believes that some people are beyond good; Kara wants to better the world through honor, courage, and strength. Lena would do whatever it takes for the betterment of society.

Sometimes their fights would last minutes...

-

_ “I trusted you, Kara. I let you into my life and I’d really like to keep you in it.” Kara noted that Lena sounded tired, sad, no longer hearing any anger in her voice. _

_ Kara responded in a meek voice, “I’d like to stay if you’d let me.”  _

_ The was a still silence between them, Kara chewing on her lip as Lena mulled everything over. She ran her hand through her hair, exhaling slowly. Eventually, Lena turned, fully facing Kara. It was odd, for Kara, seeing Lena wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt while wearing the bravado of a CEO. It was hard for to reconcile the two with each other, but they were there before her. _

_ That’s when Kara realized just how strange it must be for Lena, knowing both Kara Danvers and Supergirl, seeing their different personalities and presentations. She had to combine them, and maybe her mind didn’t want to. If Lena had hidden a whole side of her from Kara, even for the right reasons, it would take time for her the come around.  _

_ “I get it,” Kara said, “If I were in your position, I’d be angry too. I would want time to - to redefine my understanding of the person.” Her hand raised to adjust her glasses before realizing they were sitting on the table. Kara dropped her hand back to her lap, fingers fidgeting with each other. She felt the cushion shift, a hand curling into Kara’s. She looked up an met Lena’s green, glassy eyes. _

_ “I’m sorry for implying that you were cheating on me. I don’t believe that you would do that, I really don’t. I just,” Lena let out a hollow laugh, “I guess my emotions just got the better of me.” _

_ “Apology accepted.” Kara gave Lena’s hands a quick squeeze, “Do you accept mine?” _

_ Lena nodded, “Can we agree on one thing though?” _

_ Kara angled her head, “What is it?” _

_ “No more secrets. Not big ones like this.” _

_ Kara smiled, “No more secrets. Not big ones.” _

-

...other times they would need some space to cool down before returning to the topic.

-

_ They met up at Noonan’s a few days later, using it as a middle ground. Lena was already waiting with a plate of sticky buns when Kara got there. Kara’s soft smile relaxed Lena a bit. Lena began to apologize again, but Kara just held up her hand, effectively silencing her. _

_ “I’ve talked with Alex. We got drunk and I… I thought back to something Cat Grant told me when I was just starting out as Supergirl. I needed to find the anger behind the anger. Except this time, it wasn’t anger,” she took a breath, “It was fear.” _

_ Kara took a bit of her sticky bun, letting her statement sit between them for a minute or so. _

_ “I thought that I was angry with you for forgetting our anniversary - which I am - but there’s a deeper reasoning as to why I was. I was scared that you no longer cared, that you had decided to leave me. I was terrified that you would look at me and find me… lacking, Just like all the others.” _

_ Lena barely caught the last bit, her heart aching, “I would never-” _

_ “I know. And that’s why I was scared. Because barring that, what else could it have been? And when you add on the fact that I had barely heard from you that day… Part of me was relieved when you walked through the door because I was terrified that the next time I saw you would be on a morgue table or in a casket.” _

_ “I suppose I could be clearer with my communication, especially when I’m working late,” Lena conceded. _

_ “And we could both be more up front with emotions, even the bad ones.” _

_ Lena nodded, extending her hand to Kara. She stared at the open palm before placing her own on it. They smiled at each other, holding each other’s gaze. _

_ “Are we going to be alright?” _

_ Kara nodded, “Yeah, yeah I think we’re going to be just fine.” _

-

But in the end, they always made up. They always found a middle ground to settle on. They always kissed and made up. Just because something didn’t work doesn’t mean they were going to abandon it. They worked until they found a solution, and that is why they made such a good couple.

The course of love never does run smooth, but a sailor doesn’t learn how to sail on calm seas.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading.
> 
> thenameisz.tumblr.com


End file.
